Economics of Discrimination
ECON 3150, Section 002
Fall 2016
Tu,Th8:00am-9:20am
CHEM 253
Contact Information:
Instructor: Dr. J. Alejandro Gelves
Office: Hickory Hall 283A
Office hours: Mo. –Th. 10:00-11:00
Phone: (940) 565-3169
E-mail:
Course Materials:
- Bradley R. Schiller, The Economics of Poverty and Discrimination, 10th edition.Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN 978-0-13-188969-9. (+ Recommended)
- George J. Borjas, Labor Economics, 7th edition.McGraw Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-802188-6. (+ Recommended)
- Gary S. Becker, The Economics of Discrimination (- Recommended)
- N. Gregory Mankiw, Principles of Microeconomics, 6th edition. ISBN 978-0-538-45304-2. (- Recommended)
- Francis D. Blau, Marianne E. Ferber and Anne E. Winkler, The Economics of Women Men and Work, 7th edition. Pearson. ISBN 978-0-13-299281-7. (- Recommended)
Course Description:
Economic discrimination is recognized as a cause of income inequality and poverty in a society. This course examines intergroup differentials in income, unemployment, wages, and educationin order to uncover the role of discrimination. Given that labor earnings are by far the most important source income people obtain, special attention will be given to the role oflabor markets in explaining these differentials.
Pre-requisite: Principles of Microeconomics. Econ 1100.
Learning Goal:
The main objective of the course is too develop a working knowledge of the economics discriminationin order to understand the facts regarding wages, labor, and household formation and their effect on the differences between minority and majority groups.
Academic Calendar:
August 29, 2016First Class Day (Monday)
September 5, 2016Labor Day (no classes)
November 7, 2016Last Day to Drop with a W or WF
November 24-27, 2016Thanksgiving Break (no classes)
December 8, 2016Last Class Day
December 10-15, 2016Finals
Course Content an Outline:
TopicsBook
Week 1Syllabus, Introduction and Econ Review.Mankiw Chp. 1.
Week 2Poverty and Inequality I.Schiller Chp. 1-3.
Week 3Poverty and Inequality II.Schiller Chp. 1-3.
Week 4Labor Markets.Mankiw Chp. 18.
Borjas Chp. 2-3.
Week 5Compensating Differentials.Borjas Chp. 5.
*Week 6Midterm/Review ------
Week 7Human CapitalBorjas Chp. 6.
Schiller Chp. 10-11.
Week 8Labor Market Types of Discrimination.Borjas Chp. 9.
Schiller Chp. 12.
Week 9Testing for Discrimination. Borjas Chp. 9.
Week 10Gender, Race, Sexual Orientation, Looks, and other.Reading List.
Readings:
Poverty:
Banerjee, A. V, & Duflo, E. (2007). The Economic Lives of the Poor. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 21(1), 141–168.
Hoynes, H., Page, M., & Stevens, A. H. (2006). Poverty in America: trends and explanations. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 20(1), 47–68.
Inequality:
Corak, M. (2013). Income inequality, Equality of Opportunity and Intergenerational Mobility.Journal of Economic Perspectives, 27(3), 79–102.
Wolf, E. N. (2010). Recent Trends in Household Wealth in the United States: Rising Debt and the Middle Class Squeeze – and Update to 2007. Levy Economics Institute of Bard College, working paper 589.
Human Capital:
Antecol, H., Jong, A., & Steinberger, M. (2008). Of Occupational Sorting and Human Capital. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 61(4), 518-543.
Discrimination:
Arrow, K. J. (1998). What Has Economics to Say about Racial Discrimination? The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 12(2), 91–100.
Fryer, R. G., Loury, G. C. (2005). Affirmative Action and Its Mythology. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 19(3), 147–162.
Employer Discrimination:
Charles, K. K. & Guryan J. (2008). Prejudice and Wages. Journal of Political Economy, 116, 773-809.
Goldberg, M. S. (1982). Discrimination, Nepotism and Long Run Wage Differentials. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 97, 307-319.
Bertrand, M., & Mullainathan, S. (2004). Are Emily and Greg More Employable Than Lakisha and Jamal? American Economic Review, 94(4), 991–1013.
Employee Discrimination:
Levitt, S. D. (2004). Testing theories of discrimination: Evidence from Weakest Link. Journal of Law and Economics, 47(October), 431–452.
Customer Discrimination:
Borjas, G. J., & Bronars, S. G. (1989). Consumer Discrimination and Self-Employment. Journal of Political Economy, 97(3), 581–605.
Ladd, H. F., & Ladd, H. F. (1998). Evidence on Discrimination in Mortgage Lending. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 12(2), 41–62.
Nardinelli, C., & Simon, C. (1990). Customer racial discrimination in the market for memorabilia: The case of baseball.The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 105(3), 575.
Yinger, J. (1998). Evidence on Discrimination in Consumer Markets. The Journal of Economic Perspectives,12(2), 23-40.
Gender Discrimination:
Blau, F. D., Kahn, L. M. (2000). Gender Differences in Pay.The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 14(4), 75–99.
Racial Discrimination:
Gittleman, M., & Wolff, E. N. (2004). Racial Differences in Patterns of Wealth Accumulation.The Journal of Human Resources, 39(1), 193-227.
Heckman, J. J., Lyons, T. M., & Todd, P. E. (2000). Understanding Black-White Wage Differentials, 1960-1990.The American Economic Review, 90(2), 344-349.
Mora, M. T., & Dávila, A. (2006). A Note on the Changes in the Relative Wages of LEP Hispanic Men between 1980 and 2000. Industrial Relations, 45(2), 169–173.
Looks Discrimination:
Hamermesh, B. D. S., & Biddle, J. E. (2016). Beauty and the Labor Market. American Economic Review, 84(5), 1174–1194.
Sexual Orientation:
Antecol, H., Jong, A., & Steinberger, M. (2007). The Sexual Orientation Wage Gap: The Role of Human Capital, Occupational Choice, and Discrimination. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 6(4), 518–543.
Lectures:
The course runs as a series of lectures. I do not use PowerPoint presentations to deliver class and expect you to attend class to obtain class notes from the information delivered both orally and through the whiteboard. Research shows that students’ performance in a course is enhanced by note taking with a pen and paper as opposed to a laptop. (Mueller and Oppenheimer 2014. The pen is mightier than the keyboard. Psychological Science.) I will use “reef” (see below) in order to assess lecture comprehension.
Final Course Grade Determinants:
Your final grade will be determined as a weighted average of your Homework, Midterm and Final Exam.
Midterm400 points
Class Work/H.W300 points
Final Examination300 points
Total1000 points
* The weights are kept as long as grades are not curved.
Grading and Evaluations:
Each student’s semester average will be computed by dividing his/her total points earned during the semester by the total possible points (i.e., 1000). Semester averages are computed to three decimal places and then rounded to the nearest whole number before comparison to the following grading scale.
Superior90% to 100%A
Above Average80% to 89%B
Average70% to 79%C
Below Average60% to 69%D
Failing59% and BelowF
Make sure the grade on blackboard matches your records.
Rounding Procedure:
If the fractional part of your semester average is 0.001 or higher, the average will be rounded up. If the fractional part is less than 0.001, the average will be rounded down. The following examples may help your understanding.
Course Policies:
A. Attendance Policy and Conduct:
Students are expected to attend all class meetings for this course, following the university attendance policy. Student behavior that interferes with the Instructor’s ability to conduct a class or other students' opportunity to learn is unacceptable and disruptive and will not be tolerated in any instructional forum at UNT. Students engaging in unacceptable behavior will be directed to leave the classroom and the Instructor may refer the student to the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities to consider whether the student's conduct violated the Code of Student Conduct. The university's expectations for student conduct apply to all instructional forums, including university and electronic classrooms, labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc.The Code of Student Conduct can be found at
B. Missed Exams and Classwork:
If a student misses a regularly scheduled exam, the student must immediately notify the instructor of his/her intention to schedule a make-up exam. There is no other recourse available for a missed exam in the class.
If a student misses a regularly scheduled class it is his/her responsibility to “catch up”. This can be easily done by reading the book, solving problems, and studying the class notes (provided by a classmate). If questions remain after following these steps, the student should visit the instructor during office hours. Lectures will not be delivered during office hours!
Blackboard and Reef as a Course Supplement:
We will use blackboard to facilitate the distribution of the syllabus, class schedule, problem assignments, and various demonstration problems. In addition, all grades will be posted on blackboard to insure student privacy.
Registration to Reef is available at:
Reef is a polling system that allows you to use your electronic device (smartphone, tablet, computer, etc.) to answer polling questions completely free of charge. I will use Reef to assess your participation in class and attendance. Please make sure to bring a Wi-Fi enabled electronic device to class. The two lowest grades on reef will be dropped at the end of the semester. Details on how to register and general support can be found here:
Disability Accommodation:
The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic accommodation for students with disabilities. Students seeking accommodation must first register with the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide you with an accommodation letter to be delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion regarding your specific needs in a course. You may request accommodations at any time, however, ODA notices of accommodation should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any delay in implementation. Note that students must obtain a new letter of accommodation for every semester and must meet with each faculty member prior to implementation in each class. For additional information see the Office of Disability Accommodation website at You may also contact them by phone at 940.565.4323.
The Economics Department cooperates with the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. If you have not registered with ODA, we encourage you to do so. Please present your written accommodation request on or before the 4th class day.
Cheating and Plagiarism:
The UNT Department of Economics adheres to the University's Policy on Cheating and Plagiarism. To view the complete policy, go to
Cheating: The use of unauthorized assistance in an academic exercise, including but not limited to:
1. use of any unauthorized assistance to take exams, tests, quizzes or other assessments;
2. dependence upon the aid of sources beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems or carrying out other assignments;
3. acquisition, without permission, of tests, notes or other academic materials belonging to a faculty or staff member of the University;
4. dual submission of a paper or project, or re-submission of a paper or project to a different class without express permission from the instructor;
5. any other act designed to give a student an unfair advantage on an academic
assignment.
Plagiarism: Use of another's thoughts or words without proper attribution in any academic exercise, regardless of the student's intent, including but not limited to:
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1. the knowing or negligent use by paraphrase or direct quotation of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgement or citation.
2. the knowing or negligent unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or by an agency engaged in selling term papers or other academic materials.
Syllabus Change Policy:
This syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change.
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